Tag: inlays and onlays

Life happens. Sometimes our teeth are the victims of an emergency. Cracked teeth are natural accidents that happen to the best of us. You made a dental appointment to fix it, but it isn’t for a couple of days. What do you do in the meantime? Here are the top three dental emergencies and how to handle them:

Toothache. If you find that you have a lot of pain around a certain tooth, you may have an abscess or exposed nerve from a filling or crown. If this is the case, try swishing with a warm salt water rinse and see your dentist as soon as possible. You may need to have a root canal or the tooth extracted entirely.

Broken or chipped teeth. Chipping your tooth is unfortunate, so if this happens, find as many pieces of the tooth you can and rinse them (and your mouth) with warm water. If your mouth is bleeding, gauze may be necessary. If the pain is extreme, try using a cold compress on the area to help relieve any pain.

Missing teeth. Nothing is worse for your smile than knocking out a tooth. Fortunately, if you can find said tooth, there may be a chance to fix it. Pick up the tooth but the crown, as opposed to the root. Rinse off any debris, but don’t scrub it. If you can, try inserting it back into your mouth. If not, put it in a glass of milk or warm salt water until your appointment.

Cosmetic dentistry focuses on improving the aesthetics of your mouth, specifically that of your teeth and smile. And, while cosmetic dentistry procedures aren’t really necessary, certain treatment options can also have restorative benefits.

Inlays and onlays are a good example of cosmetic dentistry procedures that have both aesthetic and restorative benefits.

What Is It?

Dental inlays or onlays are generally bigger than fillings, but much smaller than crowns. They can either be cemented or bonded into place, depending on what’s best for a particular case.

Inlays work similar to fillings, but are placed somewhere inside the chewing surface of your tooth. On the other hand, onlays are much larger and are usually used to replace cusps that have already decayed.

Both can be made out of composite resin, ceramics or even gold and are known to last for years, sometimes even decades.

The variety in longevity depends on the following factors: The material used, how many teeth are involved, how often you chew hard substances and how well you take care of your teeth.

Use, Preparation and Benefits

Inlays and onlays are used to restore damaged or decayed teeth to their original look.

During the procedure, the dentist will numb the affected tooth or teeth and the surrounding area with local anesthesia. Though, it is possible to ask to be given nitrous oxide instead, or opt for another type of sedation.

There are two types of inlays – direct and indirect. The former are made in the dental office and can be placed in a single visit. The latter is custom-made in a laboratory and will require more visits.

Direct inlays and onlays – The dentist will remove the decayed or dead part and shape the tooth. A soft material is then placed on the tooth and molded to fit. It is then removed and made to harden using a special oven. Once it’s ready, the dentist will cement the now-hardened inlay or onlay to the affected tooth where it will be polished soon after. It may also be necessary for your dentist to adjust its shape to better fit your teeth’s overall look.

Indirect inlays and onlays – Like with direct inlays, the dentist will clean out the affected tooth. But, instead of fitting a mold, an impression is made of the affected tooth and its neighboring teeth. A temporary filling is then placed on the affected tooth while the impression is sent to a dental laboratory where the inlay or onlay is made.

Once the inlay or onlay is ready, the dentist will take out the temporary filling and clean out the tooth. The now-permanent inlay or onlay is then cemented and polished. Again, slight reshaping may be necessary to make it fit well with the rest of your teeth.

Maintenance and Care

Inlays and onlays require the same kind of maintenance as your original teeth – regular brushing, flossing, rinsing with mouthwash and of course, regular trips to the dentist.

You may want to avoid chewing hard substances such as ice or hard candy once you have inlays and onlays cemented in place. This is because chewing on such substances can cause the inlay or onlay to crack or even fall out.

Speaking of chewing, if grind your teeth regularly, especially while you sleep, you may want to ask your dentist for a night guard to protect your teeth and inlays or onlays from the constant pressure of grinding.

All in all, inlays and onlays are a great way to strengthen your teeth, restore it to its original shape and prevent any further damage from decay.

For more information on Inlays and Onlays contact Theodore Haines DDS at 360-568-8577. Learn more about the services he offers by visiting the website at tedhainesdds.com.

If you have a chipped or cracked tooth or are experiencing tooth decay, it may be time to visit Dr. Theodore D. Haines and ask about dental restorations such as inlays or onlays. Through dental inlays or onlays, your chipped or worn down teeth will look brighter than ever.

For a chipped of damaged tooth and dental onlay is placed inside or on points of the tooth. On the other hand, inlays are placed in the center area of the tooth. For those individuals with decaying teeth, inlays and onlays prevent further damage by strengthening the teeth.

Some patients fear the the inlays or onlays will be visible, however, they resemble the same color of your teeth, making it impossible to tell the difference. Our dentists also use a custom hold for the inlay and onlays, allowing them to fit perfectly in your teeth.

In even the most extreme cases our skilled dentists have been able to transform severely damages teeth into magnificent smiles. For any questions about inlays, onlays, or other dental restorations please call Dr. Haines in Snohomish, WA at (360) 568-8577. Visit his website at www.tedhainessdds.com.

Dental inlays and onlays can give you a beautiful smile that lasts a lifetime. Inlays and onlays are dental restorations frequently used to repair teeth that are severely damaged by decay or wear. They are usually applied to the chewing surface of the back teeth. They provide more strength than a filling and are more conservative than a full crown.

A dental onlay is fabricated to fit your tooth precisely and is bonded tightly in place to strengthen and protect the damaged tooth. Like a dental crown, an onlay is a dental restoration that covers and protects the tooth’s biting surface. Where a crown covers the entire tooth, an onlay fits just to the outside of the tooth cusps and covers only the biting surfaces. Because an onlay is fabricated in a dental laboratory, it takes two or more appointments to restore a tooth with a porcelain onlay. A dental inlay fills in any damaged surface of the tooth inside the cusps at the center of the tooth.

If you have damaged teeth in need of a repair, don’t wait any longer. Call Dr. Ted Haines DDS for an appointment at 360-568-8577. Dr. Haines will consult with you and inform you of the dental restorations needed to repair your teeth and smile. Visit his website for more information at www.tedhainesdds.com.

With developing technology, Dr. Ted Haines in Snohomish, WA has a variety of methods to help you repair worn, damaged, decayed or missing teeth. Depending on the issue Dr. Ted Haines will perform either direct or indirect dental restoration. With direct dental restoration, Dr. Ted Haines will place a filling into a prepared tooth cavity immediately in a single office visit. As for an indirect restoration, a customized tooth replacement in the form of dentalcrowns, onlays or inlays is created. Since these replacements must be created in a lab, more than one office visit is necessary. Dr. Ted Haines can help you decide which type of procedure is more accommodating for you.

For more information, contact Dr. Ted Haines and make an appointment at(360) 568-8577 orvisit our website.

Inlays and onlays are indirect dental restorations that reinforce an existing tooth that is too damaged to support a filling, but not damaged enough to require a crown.

Inlays and onlays are known as indirect fillings because unlike a standard filling, both are made in a laboratory and cemented or bonded to the surface of the tooth during a second visit. Unlike standard fillings, inlays and onlays do not weaken the tooth structure, but actually strengthen it. After the procedure the tooth can bear up to 50-75% more chewing force.